1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of vision enhancement. More particularly, this invention relates to the art of providing an optical vision substitute.
2. Background
Eyesight is, for many people, the most important of all the senses. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys perfect vision. Many visually impaired people have developed their other senses to reduce their reliance on optical vision. For instance, the visually impaired can learn to use a cane to detect objects in one""s immediate vicinity. Braille provides a means by which visually impaired people can read text. Hearing can be developed to recognize the flow and direction of traffic at an intersection. Seeing eye dogs can be trained to provide excellent assistance.
Technology has sought to provide additional alternatives for the visually impaired. Corrective lenses can improve visual acuity for those with at least some degree of optical sensory perception. Surgery can often correct retinal or nerve damage, and remove cataracts. Sonar devices have also been used to provide the visually impaired with an audio warning signal when an object over a specified size is encountered within a specified distance.
A need remains, however, for an apparatus to provide an audio representation of one""s surroundings.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a method and apparatus to create an audio representation of a three dimensional environment is provided. One embodiment includes a plurality of video receptors, a plurality of audio output devices, and a converter. The converter receives multidimensional video data from the plurality of video receptors, converts the multidimensional video data into a multidimensional audio representation of the multidimensional video data, and outputs the multidimensional audio representation to the plurality of audio output devices.